Former Lakeland therapist pleads to charges of sexually molesting clients

Wednesday

Oct 11, 2017 at 12:30 PMOct 12, 2017 at 8:42 AM

Suzie Schottelkotte @southpolkscene

BARTOW — A former Lakeland mental-health counselor has pleaded no contest to charges he molested women during their therapy sessions with him, telling them his actions were part of their treatment.

In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Anthony Conti, 72, is expected to receive eight years in prison, followed by five years’ probation.

His sentencing will be Nov. 6 before Circuit Judge James Yancey.

Other conditions of his plea prohibit him from being alone with women other than family members. Conti's license has been revoked, but the prohibition would apply to any employment he might seek. The only exceptions include when he’s receiving medical care or when an individual is approved by his probation officer, according to the agreement.

He’s also precluded from having any contact with the victims.

Conti, who pleaded Monday, was charged with two counts of sexual misconduct and six counts of attempted sexual misconduct by a psychotherapist. He faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted by a jury. He was scheduled to go to trial next week.

By pleading no contest, Conti neither admitted nor challenged the allegations against him. Legally, the plea has the same effect as a guilty plea.

Conti was arrested in September 2016 after one of his clients told Lakeland Police Department officers he had touched her in her groin area during a therapy session. She said Conti had told her he subscribed to “touch therapy,” and he represented that sexual contact was part of the treatment to release toxins.

Additional women came forward, resulting in more criminal charges against Conti, who had been a therapist for more than 40 years.

In June, a client told police she was on the couch with Conti during a session in 2015 when he told her to close her eyes while he worked with her on breathing exercises, an arrest affidavit states. Conti began touching her on her breasts, according to police reports, and pulled down her sweatpants and rubbed her vagina.

She said Conti told her the technique would help her move chemicals throughout her body and ease her depression, explaining that the lymph nodes harbor toxins that needed to be released through massage.

“She stated she was uncomfortable, confused, scared and was panicking,” the report states.

After that session, Conti scheduled another with the client, saying she had built-up anger in her genitals that he needed to massage out, police reports state. The woman said she didn’t return for the follow-up appointment.

The woman reported the incident in March 2015 to her Employee Assistance Program, who arranged the referral to Conti, police reported. The EAP service documented the incident and spoke with Conti but never reported it to the LPD, reports state.

Two of the women filed lawsuits against Conti, alleging negligence. Undisclosed settlements were reached in both of those cases last month, according to Circuit Court records.

Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com or 863-533-9070. Follow her on Twitter @southpolkscene.